Earlier this season, October 23, 2007 to be exact, I compared Edmonton to Los Angeles and how these two organizations started from such divergent places but ended up following a similar path. Both teams are rebuilding and both traded their respective captains … for better or worse. Here is a small excerpt:
“Both Lowe and Lombardi felt that the “New NHL” was no longer meant for Jason Smith or Mattias Norstrom, and each proceeded to banish their captains elsewhere. Norstrom now welcome with the Stars and Smith the new captain of the Flyers.
The thing is the Oilers and the Kings are looking to be speedier skating teams and the jury is still out on where the pre-lockout defensive defensemen fit in today’s game.”
Smith and Norstrom Dispatched – Did Edmonton and Los Angeles Get It Right?
There was no way I could have predicted that these two warriors or all-but-dones depending on your perspective would both be in the Conference Finals. That being said, it begs the question why or if Lowe and Lombardi correctly pegged these particular veteran defensive defensemen as really having no place in the “New NHL”. Lets get real here, one of the biggest weaknesses on the Kings right now is the lack of a solid defensive defenseman. The elephant in the room truly is the fact the Kings had one and dispatched him a season plus ago.
Granted, the Kings got picks that became Oscar Moller and Dallas’ 1st this year, but still, woulda coulda shouldas probably dance in many a Kings’ fans’ heads now watching Norstrom’s success with the Stars. With the change in the draft selections which now take into account play-off success, that Dallas 1st is looking like less than the value it had once upon a time.
In contrast to Lombardi, here is former Stars’ GM Armstrong discussing the trade deadline deal for Norstrom:
“When you look at our defensive group, they are all skaters, puck-movers and two-way players," Armstrong said. "We felt we needed to get a shutdown type of defenseman. . . ."
Norstrom’s Stars’ Defensive Defenseman
I still remember last off-season when a fan asked Lombardi if Norstrom would be re-acquired and the long …. long … silent pause before Lombardi explained there was a place in the organization for him …. when his playing days are over… alrighty then!! In direct contrast, here is what Dallas thinks of the player they call “Nordie”:
“I think he’s been a great mentor for all the young guys this year,” noted 23-year-old rookie Nicklas Grossman, a fellow Swede. “Just his presence around the locker room and off the ice, it’s easy for a young guy to look up to a guy like that”
Nordie’s been great, especially for me,” Niskanen said. “He’s a really sound defender and he’s a true leader, too - so vocal and a really smart player.
“Mattias has been very instrumental in my growth since I’ve been here,” added 21-year-old rookie Mark Fistric, who entered the lineup in Game 3 after Boucher was injured. “He’s taught me a lot. I look up to him. He’s kind of almost took me under his wing - he’s been awesome to me, just giving little pointers to me.
“Nordie’s our old man back there, he’s a veteran, he’s a leader,” Daley said. “Most of us look to him for advice. It’s just amazing what he brings to the table, not only on the ice but off the ice. It’s pretty special.
Stars’ Players on Norstrom the Player and Mentor
Let’s get real here, I don’t see the Kings’ youth singing Blake’s praises to the degree that Norstroms’ did for him. Maybe Blake had that kind of effect –and then again maybe not. Ott also talked about Norstrom in the Dallas Morning News where he too called him a ‘warrior’. The former Kings’ captain even chipped in some offense these play-offs. Watch those highlights for yourselves:
Norstrom’s Game 3 OT Sharks Goal
Similar to Norstrom, Smith was dispatched by Lowe to the Flyers. Philadelphia’s success is the toughest pill for a Kings’ fan to swallow since they went from cellar dweller to Eastern Conference Finals – a vault that leaves Kings’ fans thirsty for whatever Holmgren did to make that turnaround a Kings’ reality. In fairness to both organizations, the Flyers’ dive had less to do with the absence of organizational depth and more to do with chemistry as I understand it. In contrast, the Kings’ dearth of talent at both levels is what makes Los Angeles’ turnaround a far slower burn to survive and escape from. File that one in the Department of the Obvious …. But I digress.
Smith’s ascendancy to captaincy with his new team is a real tribute to what he brings. Holmgren not only rebuilt the organization on the fly, he also brought in an embarrassment of riches when it comes to leadership with former captains, Briere, Timmonen, Smith to go with existing leadership with Hatcher, Gagne and Richards. His crowning thus is more of a tribute to what he brings to Philadelphia. Here is what locals had to say of Smith:
“Philly has lacked a solid captain since Keith Primeau last wore the C, with Peter Forsberg and Darien Hatcher serving in a rather pedestrian way. I'd assumed Danny Briere—the biggest name of the Flyers new faces—would be the easiest and most fan-friendly choice among the deserving players, but I think Smith will be great in the role. . . . . I think this is a captain this town can get behind.”
Smith Gets the “C”
It is no surprise really that Smith became the Flyers’ current captain based upon how he earned his nickname, “Gator”:
“His nickname, "Gator", is an affectionate way of saying he's strong and quick and once he sinks his teeth into an assignment ... an offensive threat ... there is almost no chance that the opponent will get away from him.”
MacTavish had this to say of Smith at the beginning of their Oilers’ tenure together:
"Have you ever walked into a room or office and sensed that one guy just had that presence to lead?" MacTavish asked. "It's hard to explain. But you just know that this guy has it…
Gator has always been our top plus-minus guy, always been our best defenseman," MacTavish continued, no disrespect to Pronger. "No one else plays with a real physical, take-no-prisoners, punishing style. ... When he does something on the ice, says something on the bench or in the locker room, you can see it pick up everyone else on the team."
Smith – Born to Lead
This all begs the question, if Norstrom and Smith brought such currency to their new teams, why did their prior ones not only let them go, but also pegged them as guys the new game left behind. Apparently, someone forgot to tell Norstrom and Smith they were done, or were they?
Carla Muller Carla.hockeygal@att.net
Carla Muller
Warriors or Has-beens: Jason Smith and Mattias Norstrom 
